


Rekindled

by MarvelSpacePrincess



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friendship/Love, Humor, Romance, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:10:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4123561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelSpacePrincess/pseuds/MarvelSpacePrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four months after the events of Age of Ultron, Steve and Natasha are continuing their lives at a New Avengers facility. Steve tries to rebuild his once close relationship with Natasha, but everything changes when they get too close and decide to be friends with benefits. Things only get worse when Bruce Banner and Sharon Carter appear back into their lives. And on top of that, they have to find out who's trying to bring down the new team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everyone knows

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad to be back on this site. It's been almost a year! Hope you guys enjoy the story!

It's been four months since the Avengers went their separate ways after defeating Ultron. Tony went to travel with Pepper and help expand his company. Thor went back to Asgard to see how things were going back home. Banner decided he needed some time away from all the craziness that he had been around for so long and went to live life on a relaxing island far away from anyone he could harm. Clint had returned home to his wife and kids and is now helping raise his newborn third child. Steve and Natasha decided to stay at the new Avengers facility where they train a new group of heroes to become Avengers. Among this group are the Vision, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson and Rhodey. 

 

The new Avengers were going through a training course in which they were in a giant simulator. Rhodey flew around in his War Machine armor as he shot down enemies. Wanda used her powers to blast away enemies from every angle, but there was one coming behind her that she did not see. The Vision flew to her quickly and blasted the enemy away.  
"Thanks." she said to him.  
Sam was flying around in his falcon gear and used his guns to shoot down enemies. Steve and Natasha were watching them all behind glass and monitoring their work.  
"Sam." Steve began through the mic. "Try not to cause so much damage!"  
"Rogers, I told you that when I'm fighting, you call me Falcon. I earned that name!" he joked as he flew around and shot down enemies.  
They were all doing an excellent job and Wanda finished off the last enemy. The four of them stopped and waited for Steve to give them their results.  
As Steve and Natasha entered the simulator room, the enemies and backdrop dissolved into pixels in the air. Natasha began to read the results.  
"Your time was 10 minutes and 34 seconds." she began. "Rhodes, excellent job. Wanda, you did great too, just watch out for your surroundings better next time. Vision, very good and Sam, you just have to worry about your destruction levels."  
The team was happy to hear their results and that they beat their record time.  
"Don't celebrate yet." Steve began. "Did any of you remember to do the most important part of this course? Ya know....Save the civilian?"  
Everyone in the room then turned to look in the corner where they saw a tied up dummy. The team then looked at each other in annoyance. Steve shook his head and folded his arms.  
"Alright. You guys can go now. Just be prepared on Monday. We'll do this course again, but the stakes will be higher." Steve said. 

Rhodey got out of his suit and placed it in it's usual spot. He waved at everyone as he headed out the door. Wanda started to leave too when Vision stepped beside her.  
"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to join me for lunch?" he asked.  
Wanda smiled at him.  
"Of course. I would love two." she said as they both left.  
Sam shook his head and walked over to his pal.  
"I don't even think I wanna know what's going on with them two." he joked.  
Steve smiled and started to shut down everything.  
"Ah, c'mon. They seem happy together. What's wrong with that?" he asked.  
Natasha walked by them and waved them goodbye as she left the room. Ever since the Avengers defeated Ultron, Natasha has been very distant with everyone. She only discussed work with everyone and she always stayed in her suite alone with no visitors. Steve worried about her, but didn't know how to talk to her about it. 

 

Moments later, Steve sat with Sam and ate lunch. It was their usual daily routine and many of Nick Fury's employees that worked for the Avengers facility were on their lunch break as well and sat a the many tables that surrounded them.  
"I'm telling you man. This is some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life. Thank goodness Stark hooked us up with some decent chefs." Sam said.  
"Yeah it sure is a lot better than army food." Steve agreed.  
He looked over and noticed Natasha sitting by herself and eating her lunch. Sam looked over to see what his friend was staring at and he grew a sly grin.  
"So, you gonna invite her to sit with us?" Sam suggested.  
"I just want to know why she's always alone. We used to be really close and tell each other everything." Steve said.  
"Yeah man, I know right? What happened with you two?" Sam asked.  
"It was after S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed and we went our separate ways. You and me went to see if we could track down Bucky and she went on to do more spy missions. Well, her work caused her to help out Banner and the next time I saw her, she was head over heels for him and I guess she bonded with him better and I guess they got close." Steve said.  
"I never did understand that at all." Sam began. "Don't get me wrong Bruce is a nice guy and all, but I just don't see him having a relationship with her. If you ask me, she's better off with you."  
Steve looked at Sam after hearing him say that. His face slowly started to turn red.  
"What? With me? Are you crazy?" Steve said nervously.  
"C'mon man. We're not stupid. Everyone knows. Believe me." Sam said with a smile.  
Steve looked around at everyone and then back at Sam.  
"What are you talking about? What does everybody know?" he asked.  
"That you've got the hots for Nat." Sam said as he drank his water.  
Steve was blushing extremely bad and tried to fight his smile.  
"No I don't." he began."Seriously. Who all thinks this?"  
"Oh no. It's a fact." Sam began. "Let's see, Clint knows, Fury knows, Thor knows, Tony definitely knows. He's actually made jokes about it behind your back....even Banner knows. That's why he was very hesitant about seeing Natasha because he said he felt like it wasn't right and he needed to know if you were ok with it."  
"What the...? I don't believe you!" Steve said. 

Rhodey was walking by their table when Sam called him over.  
"Sup." Rhodey said.  
"Hey man. Who does my boy here got feelings for?" Sam asked.  
"Natasha." Rhodey answered.  
Steve than put his head down on the table in embarrassment.  
"I don't know why you're embarrassed. It's not exactly a secret. The whole staff in the facility has known for a while." Rhodey said.  
"That'll be all, Rhodey." Sam said with a smile.  
Rhodes then left the table. Steve looked up at his friend.  
"Calm down man. There's one person who doesn't know and she's sitting right over there.... by herself." Sam said. 

Steve looked over at Natasha. There was no denying that he's grown fond of her over the past few years. He remembers when he first started to get feelings for her. It was when the Avengers had first formed and fought the Chitauri in the battle of New York. He was still getting used to all the changes of the world and didn't know if there was anything worthwhile in this new time, but the moment he helped her up with his shield and watched her fly away while fighting off aliens, he realized that she was his kind of woman. 

"Go on, Steve." Sam began. "Invite her over."  
Steve looked at his friend not knowing what to say.  
"Listen if you don't invite her over here, I'm going to yell to her across the room over everybody that you want to take her out." Sam said.  
Steve didn't believe that he would do such a thing.  
"You wouldn't." he said.  
Sam stood out of his chair and cupped his hands around the sides of his mouth.  
"HEY, NATASHA!!!!" he yelled.  
Steve grabbed his arms and sat him back down.  
"Fine. I'll go." he said as he got up and headed to where Natasha sat.  
"Hey." Natasha said with a smile to him.  
"Hey....Uh, I was wondering if you wanted to join Sam and I over there." Steve asked calmly.  
Natasha looked behind him and could see Sam looking over at them.  
"Sure. It'll be like old times." she said as she grabbed her food.  
The two of them went over to Sam, but noticed Sam was getting ready to go.  
"Where are you going?" Steve asked.  
"Oh. I got some business to attend to." Sam said with a smile and a wink.  
"But you can't just go!" Steve said.  
"Oh, you'll be OK. Besides, you got Nat here to keep you company." Sam said as he gave his friend a pat on the back.  
He quickly hurried off. Steve took a seat and sat in front of Natasha.  
"Don't worry, Rogers. You know me....I won't bite." she joked as she gave him a wink and took a bite of her food.  
Steve got a text from Sam saying, "You'll thank me later."  
He smiled and put his phone back in his pocket. Steve then started to chat with Natasha as they ate their lunch.


	2. Over it

That night, Steve sat in the living room of his suite. he was reading the paper because he didn't get to that morning. Someone knocked on his door and he went to answer it. It was Sam. He had the biggest smile on his face as he walked in.  
"How did it go?" he asked.  
"We ate our lunch and talked about work. How did you think it was supposed to go?" Steve said as he took a seat.  
"Man. That's a shame. I thought she'd get comfortable with you again. I guess I'm not as good of a wing man as I thought I was." Sam said.  
"It's alright." Steve began. "I think she still has feelings for Banner. She's happy and I'm ok with that."  
"Happy? What are you talking about? She hasn’t seen him in months and she's always secluding herself away from everyone. I remember when she used to talk to everybody and smile all the time. That's the Natasha we all know and love. I thought that maybe that side of her would come back after talking with you today." Sam said.  
"Well. It didn't." Cap said as he and Sam walked over to the door. "I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't think she's going to warm up anytime soon.....I'm a call it a night. See ya tomorrow Sam."  
"Seriously? It's only ten o'clock....and it's a Friday night." Sam said.  
"I know, but I have to get up early tomorrow because...."  
Suddenly someone was knocking on his door. They both looked at each other. 

"Must be Fury." Sam said as Steve opened the door.  
It was Natasha. She wore a cute little black dress, her hair was perfectly styled and she was holding a little purse.  
Both Steve and Sam stood in the doorway in shock.  
"Hey, guys. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to this bar I heard about in town. I figured it's probably better than staying cooped up in my suite tonight." She said.  
Steve was still speechless and Sam grew a quick smile.  
"Just give us a minute. Don't go anywhere." Sam said as he quickly shut the door.  
"What are you doing?" Steve asked.  
"I'm giving you time so you can make yourself look decent." Sam began. "Did you see what she was wearing? That sexy dress, them legs....man. I'm telling you, if you mess this up...."  
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Steve asked.  
"Steve....you're wearing a Boston shirt with a mustard stain and sweatpants....go!" Sam said. 

Steve hurried and put on his nicest jeans and put on a clean blue shirt. He went to his closet and put on a nice black sports jacket. He quickly put on his shoes before leaving his room and coming back to the living room.  
"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Sam began with a smile. "You look clean. Fresher than a motherfucker!"  
He stopped when Steve looked him in the eye.  
"I know....language." he said as he rolled his eyes.  
Sam stepped back to look at his friend for a moment.  
"What's wrong?" Steve asked.  
"Nothing....It's just my friend is all grown up now and going on dates." Sam joked.  
Steve playfully shoved his friend out of the way and opened the door. Natasha was still there and noticed Steve had changed.  
"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting. I would love to go." Steve said.  
"Awesome. Sam, are you going too?" Natasha asked.  
Sam then faked a yawn.  
"No. Thanks though. Actually, I think I'm a call it a night." he said.  
Natasha looked at her phone.  
"But it's only ten-fifteen....and it's a Friday night!" she said.  
"He knows." Steve said with a grin as they walked down the hall. 

 

Later that night, Steve and Natasha were at the bar. They had been there for about half an hour and chatted about stuff they needed to catch up on in each other's lives.  
"So wait. What happened next?" Steve asked as he laughed at a story Nat was telling him.  
She giggled and took a sip of her drink.  
"After that, Fury was so pissed." she began as she giggled again. "We felt kinda bad for him, so we placed his eye patch back on his nightstand....when he came back to his room, he thought he had gone crazy. The next day, he gave all of us an apology."  
They both laughed at the story and started catching their breath. Steve took a sip of his drink and smiled. This was the Natasha everybody missed and he managed to bring her back. She was happy again and smiling. 

"Ya know, this is my first time actually going out and having some fun since we started training the new team." Natasha said.  
"Really? Why is that?" Steve asked.  
Natasha started to stir around the straw in her drink.  
"I don't know....maybe I was depressed or something." she said.  
"Depressed? What is there to be depressed about?" Steve asked.  
"It's just....I guess I felt upset because I got my hopes up for nothing. Here I was, thinking that maybe a guy I had feelings for would feel the same about me in return....Look at me, I sound like a little girl, but....the whole time I told him of how I felt, he always seemed like he really didn't feel the same way at all and was only telling me what I wanted to hear so I wouldn't get hurt." Natasha said as she still stirred her straw.  
Steve then realized how bad she was hurt on the inside all this time.  
"I'm going to be fine though. Don't worry about me." Natasha began. "I just need to rethink my personality and change my usual appearance and well....There's a lot of changes I need to make."  
"No. You don't need to change at all." Steve said.  
Natasha looked at him for a moment.  
"Tasha what are you talking about? You're smart, an excellent fighter,….you're an important member of the team, and for crying out loud, look at you. You're beyond beautiful and....you're a great friend. You don't need to change at all." Steve said as he looked into her eyes.  
Every word was sincere and from his heart. Natasha smiled at the fact that he had said all of that to her.  
"Thanks, Steve." she said. 

There was then an awkward silence as the two of them took a sip of their drinks. Natasha decided to change the subject.  
"So, did you ever ask out Sharon?" she asked.  
"Nope." Steve said.  
"Really? Why? She seemed like she had a thing for you, Rogers." Natasha asked.  
"Yeah, well....I had a feeling she wasn't my type....I'm still waiting for the right girl." Steve said as he took a sip of his drink.  
The bartender came by and asked if they wanted anything else.  
"That'll be all. Thank you." Steve said.  
"Alright. That's going to be $15.75. You two have a good night now." the bartender said.  
Steve paid him and they walked out the door. As they walked down the sidewalk, Steve could see that Natasha was smiling.  
"What is it?" he asked with a curious grin.  
"Ok....you can't tell anyone, ok?" she said.  
"Alright." Steve said.  
"I went through a phase where I secretly had feelings for you." she admitted.  
Steve smiled and couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
"Really? And when was this?" he asked.  
"Oh, it was around the time when it was just the two of us going on missions together and we were fighting H.Y.D.R.A.!" Nat said.  
Steve was shocked to hear her say this because that was just a little over a year ago.  
"You have nothing to worry about though....I'm over it." Natasha said.  
"Are you sure?" Steve joked. 

Natasha suddenly stopped walking and turned to give Steve a kiss. Her tongue gently moved around in his mouth. He kissed back as well and placed his arms around her waist. After a few seconds, she let go and looked at him.  
"Yeah....I'm definitely, over it." she said in an unsure voice.  
"Good to know." Steve said in a shocked tone.  
Natasha then noticed a club open across the street.  
"Oh, my gosh! We have to go!" Natasha said as she pulled his arm.  
As they went across the street, Steve was a little worried. He was a man out of time and didn't know all that much about current music and not only that,….he didn't know how to dance! Well....he knew how to do the jitterbug.


	3. Dirty dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****JUST A WARNING!!!! You were probably wondering why this story is rated M when up until now there hasn't been any mature content in it. At the end of this chapter is where things start to get very steamy and it only gets worse in the next chapters. If you wish to stop reading this story, I fully understand. Your discretion is advised.****

Back at the facility, Sam wandered the empty halls to find a vending machine. He went to it's usual spot and found out that it had been moved. There was a sign that said, "Moved to lobby."   
"Dammit." he said under his breath.   
When he went to the lobby, he found Wanda and Vision sitting on the couch and watching a movie on the new TV.   
"Hey Sam." Wanda said.   
"Hello Sam." Vision said.   
Sam said hello back and went to the vending machine to get a Pepsi. Wanda turned around and looked at him over the back of the couch.   
"Where is your partner in crime?" she joked.   
Sam walked over to take a seat.   
"He's out on a date right now....with Natasha." he said with a smile as he opened his soda.   
Wanda and Vision could not believe it.   
"Really?" Wanda began. "Well that is good for him! I'm happy for him."   
"I agree. After all, he's seemed to have been showing interest in her for the longest time." Vision said.   
Sam smiled and took a drink of his soda.   
"You see, even the both of you knew what he thought of her. He got embarrassed today because I told him that everybody already knew." Sam said.   
"Why would he be embarrassed?" Wanda began. "I think it's sweet. Everyone deserves to find that special someone."   
Vision put his arm around her and they both smiled at each other. Sam just sat in the chair and saw the two of them flirt with each other. He shook his head and sat back in the chair.   
"What's wrong?" Vision asked.   
"Nothing." Sam began. "I just realized something....I need to find a girlfriend." 

 

Steve and Natasha entered the club and saw a sea of dancing people, strobe lights and they could hear the loud music booming through the speakers.   
"I haven't been to a club in years." Natasha said to Steve as they made their way through the crowd.   
It's funny she said that because Steve hasn't been to a club at all since he came out of the ice. Back in his day, clubs were not at all like this. Natasha noticed he was feeling uncomfortable.   
"Hey, Steve....We could leave if you want. I understand if you don't want to stay." she said.   
"No. It's fine. It's just....I only know dances that wouldn't fit with this type of music. I came from 1945. We danced to swing and did the jitterbug. It's ok though, you can go on and dance, I'll just wait by the wall over here." Steve said.   
Natasha felt kind of bad and wanted him to enjoy himself too. Suddenly, the song ended and the DJ came on the mic.   
"Alright everybody!" he began. "For the next hour, I'm gonna be taking requests. But the songs have to be throwback songs. Preferably a song of 80's, 90's or early 00's. I want to hear ya'll make some noise and enjoy the night!" 

Natasha knew that Steve wouldn't be aware of any songs from those decades, but after searching through her phone, she found a song she used to listen to a lot. Sure, Steve had never heard of it, but it had a swing beat that he could actually dance to. She hurried to the DJ and requested the song. Suddenly it started playing. She hurried to Steve and grabbed his arm. 

"C'mon. Come dance with me!" she said.   
Steve had to admit he liked the beat of the song.   
"What song is this?" he asked.   
"Candyman by Christina Aguilera!" she answered.   
"Who?" he asked.   
"Never mind! I'll tell you later." she said with a smile.   
They both went on to the dance floor and Steve started to dance with her.   
"Follow my lead. I'm a show you what real dancing is!" he said.   
As Steve started to dance, the crowd formed a circle around him. Natasha smiled. She couldn't believe he was actually dancing and really good. She'd never seen this side of him. She joined him dancing.   
"Alright. My turn to lead. Can you do this?" she asked.   
"That's easy." Steve said as he followed her lead.   
Eventually the two of them had combined their dancing styles. It was a modern twist on the jitterbug. People in the crowd recognized them and took out their phones to record them. 

As the two of them danced. Things started to get a little bit more intimate between them. They both weren't for sure if it was the way Steve grabbed on to her or maybe the way Natasha danced so close to him. Either way, they both started to realize something was changing between them. The song ended and both of them started to catch their breath. People around them cheered for them and went back to dancing. 

Steve and Natasha were still standing face to face and staring into each other in the eyes. Natasha then gently gave Steve a kiss. Steve moved his hands from her waist to her thighs and brought her closer to him. Natasha was surprised he had done that because she had always thought he was such a boy scout. They continued to kiss and moments later, they went out the back door of the club and into the alley. 

Natasha pushed him against the wall and continued to make out with him. He brought her closer and started kissing her neck.   
"Steve....I've never seen you so naughty before." she said in a seductive voice.   
She then got an idea and whispered it to him. Steve placed his fingers under her dress and went inside her. Natasha moaned as she clenched on to his back. Steve stopped kissing her neck for a moment and licked his fingers.   
"What do ya say we head back to the facility....We could go to your suite....And do this for real?" Natasha suggested.


	4. Friends with benefits

Later that night, Steve and Natasha entered his suite. He quickly turned around to lock the door and Natasha turned him back around to make out with him. She tossed her purse over in a corner and Steve took off his sports jacket. They stopped kissing for a moment and Natasha started to unbutton Steve's shirt. He kicked off his shoes as she started to kiss up and down his toned torso.  
"Hey Nat?" Steve asked.  
"What?" Natasha said as she slid off his shirt.  
"Before we decide to do this, I was wondering if you ever done this with....ya know, another teammate?" he asked.  
Natasha stopped for a moment and looked at him.  
"If you mean Banner, then no." she began. "We've slept together once, but never did anything."  
Steve was relieved to hear that. He would feel pretty bad if she had been with any good friend of his. Natasha went back to licking his six pack. Another thought occurred in Steve's head.  
"What about....Stark?" he asked.  
Natasha stopped and looked at him again with a disgusted look on her face.  
"Eww! Oh, God no!" she answered.  
"Thor?" Steve asked.  
They both paused and looked at each other again.  
"No! Steve! You're the first team member I ever thought about doing this with." Natasha explained as she got on her knees.  
"Well." Steve began. "That's good to know, because...."  
"Steve." Natasha interrupted.  
"Yeah?" he asked.  
"Shut up!" she said as she pulled down his jeans and boxers. 

Natasha was then surprised at the big size of his package.  
"Wow!" she said.  
Steve smiled as his confidence was going through the roof.  
"Yeah....The super soldier serum apparently makes everything bigger." he explained.  
Natasha then placed her mouth over his tip and began sucking up and down. Steve enjoyed the feeling and could barely stand any longer. She twirled her tongue around it and sucked even harder.  
"Natasha...." he managed to say.  
He placed his hands on her head to bring her closer. Steve then started to worry because he knew what was about to happen.  
"Nat. You might want to stop right now." he suggested.  
"Relax, Rogers. It's just cum." she said and then put her mouth back into place.  
Natasha continued until she was finished and stood up. Steve's heart was beating really fast and his palms became sweaty. 

"Try and top that." she said as she smiled and wiped her mouth.  
Steve then moved his back away from the door and started walking towards her. He had no idea how he could top that. Natasha giggled as he walked closer to her. She started to move backwards and prepared to have him chase her.  
"Come and get me." she said as she started to run. 

Steve chased her until they were in the kitchen. He picked her up and sat her on the counter. He started kissing her neck as he removed her black dress. Natasha kicked the dress off her ankles and onto the kitchen floor. She wore a two piece matching black lingerie set. Steve then started making his way over to her breasts as he kissed, sucked and nibbled on each one. Natasha moaned as she placed her arms and legs around him. Steve then started to finger her aggressively.  
"Fuck!" she screamed as her nails dug into his back.  
Steve then stopped and looked at her.  
"Why did you stop?" Natasha asked.  
"I thought I was hurting you." Steve explained.  
"What the....? Just keep going!" Natasha said as she hit the back of his head.  
Steve continued for a few more minutes until he decided to come to a stop. He backed up and Natasha hopped off the counter.  
"Not bad. I didn't know you had it in you, Rogers." she said.  
"Oh, I'm not done yet." Steve said. 

He then quickly picked her up and started walking to his bedroom. She wrapped herself around him and kissed his neck as he carried her into the room. Steve shut the door and tackled Natasha onto the bed. She lay there underneath him as he started kissing her entire torso, making his way down to her black thong. Steve rubbed her legs as he began licking her inner thighs. Natasha moaned and enjoyed the feeling of this. He then pulled down her thong and started kissing and sucking on her folds. Natasha moaned more as she was certainly being aroused. Steve then placed his tongue inside her. As he pushed his tongue further in, Natasha screamed and clenched the sheets from her orgasm. Her heart was beating extremely fast and she felt as if she were out of breath.  
"Steeeve!!!!" she screamed as she started bucking.  
Steve pulled out his tongue and continued kissing around her area as Natasha started to cum. Steve then pulled himself back over her body and laid over her as his face was just inches from hers. He put both of her hands over her head and pinned down her wrists with his hands.  
"What are you doing?" Natasha managed to whisper.  
"Shhhh....I'm almost done." Steve said with a smile.  
Natasha started to feel Steve between her thighs. She gave him a seductive grin, realizing what he was going to do. Steve then slowly made his way inside her. Steve watched Natasha's face as she started to feel him inside her. It was pain, but a pleasurable pain that she enjoyed. He then started to move his pelvis gradually getting faster with each push. Natasha knew it was hurting her, but she enjoyed it so much, that she refused to tell him to stop. Steve continued to get faster as he lay over her that night. 

 

The next morning, Steve woke up with Natasha lying next to him. He thought about all that happened the night before and had mixed feelings about it all. He did not expect all of that to happen. There were good things and bad things about what they both did. Natasha suddenly yawned and turned over to face him.  
"Morning, Captain." she said seductively with a smile.  
"Morning." Steve said calmly. 

Natasha noticed something was bothering him and she started to climb up on top of him. She leaned down and gently kissed his neck. She then sat up on his crotch as he still laid down.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
Steve sighed and rubbed his face.  
"Nat....What we did last night was wrong." he said.  
"Wrong?" Natasha began as she looked down at him. "You are just as much at fault as I am. It takes two."  
"I know, It's just....It all happened so fast....I mean, we're friends one moment and then all of a sudden....that happened." Steve said.  
"Well,...we could be more than friends." Natasha suggested as she rubbed his six pack.  
As much as Steve has always wanted to hear her say those words to him, he just knew that he couldn't have a relationship with her. Not yet anyway.  
"Nat." Steve began. "As much as I would really love to,…. It's just that we can't....We both have so many cruel and pure evil enemies out there....I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you. And I'm sure you'd be concerned about me too. Plus, I lead the Avengers and you're a member, so...." 

"I understand." Natasha interrupted.  
"You do?" Steve asked.  
"Yeah." Natasha began. "Relationships are one thing, but when they get involved in work....especially with the kind of work we do....It's ok. We can still be just friends. I'm fine with that."  
Steve then thought about it and Natasha knew he was about to say something else.  
"You see...." he began. "That's the thing....I really enjoyed everything we did last night, but we can't do that if we're friends."  
Natasha smiled and leaned forward closer to him.  
"Of course we can." she said.  
Steve was surprised she said that.  
"We can?" he asked confused.  
"Yeah....We can just be friends with benefits. We just do this kind of stuff secretly and don't tell anyone." Natasha explained.

Steve was very unsure about that idea.  
"Uh, I don't know....That is a clever idea, but...." Steve said.  
Natasha rolled her eyes, got under the sheets and made her way to his knees while Steve still laid there talking.  
"What if we get....you know....really attached to each other and...." Steve said.  
He stopped for a moment wondering what Natasha was doing.  
"Oh, man!" he sighed when he felt her below the sheets.  
"Is it a good idea now?" he heard Natasha ask from under the sheets.  
"Yes!" Steve began. "It is a brilliant idea!"


	5. Ice cream with a sprinkle of guilt

Later that day, Steve was in the workout room punching a punching bag. Sam soon came in and Steve decided to take a water break.  
"Sup, man!" Sam began. "I haven't seen you all day."  
"Yeah, well....I was cleaning my suite. Ya know, mopping, vacuuming....wiping furniture down." Steve said awkwardly.  
"So,….I heard your date last night went great." Sam said.  
Steve was shocked when he said that. It hadn't even been 24 hours yet. How could he possibly know.  
"What? What do you know?" he asked in a worried tone.  
"Calm down, man." Sam began as he took out his phone. "Someone recorded your dance skills at a club last night. It's going viral too."  
Steve watched the video and hoped that would end at the right time. Thankfully the video ended before he and Natasha kissed. Steve let out a sigh in relief. Sam gave him a pat on the back.  
"That was incredible, man. You never told me you could dance." Sam said.  
Steve took another drink from his water bottle.  
"Yeah, well....There's a lot of things people don't know about me. " he said.  
"I bet Natasha was impressed, huh?" Sam said with a smiled.  
"You could say that." Steve replied.  
"So....what's going on with you two, now? You get her to open up more? Are you closer now?" Sam asked.  
"Oh, It's nothing....We just talked....enjoyed each other's company....and decided we should just be friends." Steve explained.  
"Aw man. I'm sorry to hear that. I know you really liked her." Sam said.  
"Oh, believe me. I'm fine with it. It's for the best." Steve said with a smirk. 

Suddenly, Natasha entered the workout room. She wore black tights and a red sports bra. Her hair was in a messy bun and sweat was dripping down her face.  
"Hey boys." she said as she walked past them.  
"Whoa. You sure got a workout." Steve said.  
"Yeah." she began as she was catching her breath. "I took a five mile run today. I'm exhausted."  
Steve watched as Natasha went on the other side of the workout room to get some water. Sam shook his head and turned to look at Steve.  
"Damn. You really missed out on her." Sam began. "It sucks being in the friend zone because...."  
As Sam kept talking, Steve tuned out his voice and looked past him. Natasha had a bottle of water and squirted it on her face to cool herself off. Steve then started to realize how lucky he was. 

 

For the rest of the week, whenever they had down time, Steve and Natasha met up with each other in his suite and got intimate. Sometimes they'd go all the way, but most of the time, they either just fooled around or tried something new. Whenever they finished, they always just sat and talked with each other or watched TV together as if they were just friends. They truly were friends with benefits. 

One afternoon, the two of them were in his suite talking about the training session that the new team completed earlier that day. Steve was sitting on the couch in the living room while Natasha was in the kitchen getting ice cream out of his freezer.  
"Maximoff did amazing today. She was more aware of her surroundings and completed everything in a record time." Steve said.  
"I know." Natasha agreed as she walked back to the living room.  
"She's improved so much. And I think it has something to do with Vision." she said.  
"Vision?" Steve asked.  
"Yeah." Natasha began as she sat in a chair across from Steve with her ice cream. "Ever since, she's been hanging out with Vision more, he's been bringing the best out of her. I think it's cute." 

Steve watched as Natasha sat across from him and ate her ice cream. She knew he was watching her, so she ate her ice cream slowly, knowing it would tease him. They haven't had sex that day yet and she didn't want to be the one who caved first.  
"Very funny." Steve said.  
"What's funny? I don't know what you're talking about. Rogers." Natasha said sarcastically.  
Steve bit his lip as he observed her movements. Natasha was wearing a black tank top and pink hot pants. Her hair was straightened and formed perfectly along the sides of her face. Her ice cream then started dripping and some fell in her lap. She jumped when she felt the cold feeling slide down her thigh. She then quickly placed her ice cream on the table. 

"Oh, shit!" she began in frustration as she stood up out of the chair. "Do you have a paper towel I can use real quick?"  
Steve was still watching her as he continued to sit on the couch.  
"Sit back down." he began. "I got it."  
Steve then got off the couch and went to her. She gave him a confused look as he smiled and got on his knees in front of her. Natasha smiled realizing what he was thinking. Steve then opened her legs and started to lick the ice cream off her inner thigh. Natasha moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. Steve then started to lick her other thigh. He stopped for a moment and looked up at her. His eyes filled with desire.  
"Very clever, Rogers." Natasha giggled as she looked at him. 

Steve then started to slide down her hot pants and thong. He placed his hands on her cheeks as he started to kiss and suck on her folds. Natasha moaned even more and arched her back from the pleasure. She pressed his head closer to her area. Steve started to then aggressively rub her thighs as he stuck his tongue inside her.  
"Oh!" Natasha screamed.  
Steve continued to move his tongue in and out her. He enjoyed the pleasure he was giving her and pushed his tongue in deeper. Natasha started to buck, but Steve held down her legs.  
"Dammit, Steeve!....Oh!" she screamed as she clenched onto him tighter.  
Steve then pulled his tongue out and started to suck up the juices as they came out of her. Natasha's legs were shaking as he gently rubbed them. When Steve was finished, he got up and licked his fingers as he watched her still sit in the chair. She looked at him as her body felt almost lifeless and smiled at him while she was catching her breath. 

"You trying to kill me, Steve?" she asked.  
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself....you just taste so good." Steve said as he licked his lips.  
Natasha smiled at his comment.  
"Really? And what do I taste like?" she asked.  
Steve thought about it.  
"Hmmm...." he began."It's hard to explain....kind of like melted sugar....sort of....well with more of a taste of buttercream frosting in a way....It's just sweet."  
Natasha giggled in disbelief.  
"I don't believe you." she said.  
Steve then leaned closer to her.  
"You want to see for yourself?" he asked with a seductive smile.  
Natasha looked at him as if he were crazy.  
"Did you just ask me if I wanted to taste myself?" she asked.  
"Yeah....so." Steve said.  
Natasha looked at him in the eyes and realized he was being serious.  
"That's some twisted thinking, Rogers....Are you asking me to do that because it would turn you on?" she asked.  
"Maybe...." Steve said with a wink.  
Natasha was really unsure about it.  
"Here." Steve said as he sat down in front of her again.  
He gently put two of his fingers inside her. Natasha clenched against him from the pain and moaned. Steve then pulled out and asked her to lick his fingers. She leaned forward and started to get a taste. As she licked his fingers more, she realized that Steve was right. Steve smiled as she licked and sucked his fingers until the flavor was gone. 

When she was done, she smiled a seductive smile at him and the two of them began to make out. Natasha started kissing his neck as he continued to finger her. She wrapped herself around him and moaned. Suddenly, they heard someone knocking at the door.  
They both quickly stopped and stood up. Natasha put her thong and hot pants back on as Steve walked over to the door. Before he opened it, he turned to look back at her.  
"You good?" he asked.  
"Yeah." Natasha answered.  
Steve then opened the door and saw Sam looking more happy than ever.  
"Hey Sam." Steve said as he stood in the doorway.  
"Hey man. I got some great news for you." Sam said.  
"Really? And what's this news?" Steve asked.  
"Guess who's going to start working here tomorrow?....You know, that chick that Nat tried to set you up with? What's her name....Sharon....That's it! Sharon Carter!" Sam said. 

After hearing those words, Steve was surprised. It felt as if everything stopped for him. Natasha was still in the suite and could hear their conversation. She was just as surprised. Steve didn't think things could get worse.  
"Sharon is coming here!" Steve said in a worried tone.  
"Yeah." Sam began. "Now you two can finally spend some time together. She really likes you, man. Plus, it's good how things work out because I heard Banner is supposed to come back next week anyway."  
Natasha was shocked when she heard him say that. Steve started to feel as if he were about to have a heart attack.  
"Yeah. I know things didn't work out so well for you and Natasha and you know, she's going to be all over Banner when he gets here, but it's ok because you'll have Sharon!" Sam said.  
Natasha was still in shock and didn't know what to think of it all. Steve had a mix of different bad feelings. One of those feelings happened to be guilt. It would be awful if Banner ever found out about him and Natasha. Also, he didn't want to be the one to piss off the Hulk.


	6. Old flames

Steve sat in the kitchen thinking long and hard about what Sam had told him a few moments ago. He felt confused and conflicted about it all. Natasha knew he was worried and took a seat beside him. She didn't know what to think of the situation either.   
"So, how do you suggest we get out of this mess?" she asked.   
"We don't." Steve began. "What's done is done. We can't just take back the fact that everything we did this entire week was wrong."   
"Steve....I'm sure we'll think of something." Natasha said as she started to rub his back for comfort.   
Steve then quickly moved her hand off of him.   
"We could start solving this by not touching each other!" he snapped.   
Natasha didn't appreciate his attitude.   
"What's your problem?" she asked angrily.   
"What's my problem? I'll tell you what my problem is!" Steve began. "I've been sleeping with a woman who had a relationship with one of my good friends just four months ago!" 

Natasha thought about what he said and understood why he had a reason to be upset.   
"Steve, I told you. I'm over Banner." she explained.   
"You said the same thing about me and look what happened!" Steve exclaimed.   
"That's different. Banner and I just never really had a relationship. We thought there were feelings, but there was no spark....not like when I'm with you." Natasha said.   
"You're so full of it, Natasha. I don't believe you! I'll believe it when I see it!" Steve began. "Did you two even officially break up?"   
"Break up? Steve! We barely even had a relationship!" Natasha explained.   
Steve was frustrated and stood up.   
"So you mean to tell me, that there's a chance Banner still has feelings for you because you both never officially called it quits....and to make matters worse, I've been sleeping with you!" he said. 

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. He started to feel like he committed a huge crime against his friend and didn't know how he could live with himself.   
"Steve. It's not that big of a deal." Natasha said.   
"You know what, Nat?" Steve began. "These past few years since coming out of the ice, I started to fall in love again. I thought I had missed out on my chance to be with that right person for the rest of my life....Then, I met you and I started to get hope again. You didn't realize it, but all this time, I've loved you. No matter what happened. When we were going on missions together, when we were running from H.Y.D.R.A, even when you were with Banner, I still loved you. The whole time, I thought that one day, my chance will come and you would make me feel like the happiest man in the world....well now, I've had my chance and realized I was wrong....You made me feel like shit!" 

Natasha held back her tears and tried to remain strong.   
"I know why you're acting like this....It's because of Sharon, isn't it?" she asked.   
"What does Sharon have to do with this?" Steve asked in anger.   
"You're trying to make me leave out of your life, so you can have room for her." Natasha began. "I don't blame you though. She is a typical man's preferable choice. Good height, blonde hair and she doesn't have any major flaws from her past....she can even give you something I can't."   
"And what's that?" Steve asked as he folded his arms.   
"….a kid." Natasha answered as a tear ran down her face.   
Steve then started to feel bad and started to walk closer to her, but she grabbed her phone and headed for the door.   
"Natasha!" Steve said as he caught up with her.   
He grabbed her arm so he could talk with her, but she quickly turned around and slapped him in the face.   
"From this moment on, I will only ever talk to you about work. Any other shit you have to say, I don't want to hear it!....I hope you and Sharon are happy together because that happiness won't last!" Natasha said to him.   
She rushed out the door and slammed it in his face. 

 

The next day, Steve was in the main office of the facility and discussing an issue with tech employee.   
"Last night, our security system was hacked into. Some personal files were stolen as well. The files of James Rhodes, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Natasha Romanov and also your file was stolen as well." the employee said.   
"Well what kind of information of ours was stolen?" Steve asked.   
"Basically everything." the employee began. "Your special skills, your genetic data....even your weaknesses."   
"Why would someone need to know all of our personal information?" Steve asked.   
"It says that the data was taken from an outside source, but I want to know how he or she acquired the codes to get in the system." the employee said.   
Steve knew only a potential threat would do something like that, but he wondered who would have the codes to steal the data. Not even H.Y.D.R.A. had the codes because they were changed when S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen.   
"Make sure you contact Stark and see if he look into it." Steve said.

"Steve!" a familiar voice said from across the room.   
He looked in the direction and saw Sharon walking towards him with a smile.   
"I haven't heard from you in a while." she said as she gave him a hug.   
"Uh, yeah. I've just been kinda busy with different things." Steve said.   
"I just started work here today and moved into my suite this morning." Sharon said.   
"That's great." Steve began. "I hope you like it here."   
"Listen....I was wondering if we could go out to dinner sometime soon. Ya know, talk and catch up on things." Sharon suggested.   
"Sounds great. How's tomorrow night sound?" Steve asked.   
"Perfect." Sharon answered.   
Sharon then started to leave the room and Steve watched as she walked away. Sure she was nice and gorgeous, but she still wasn't Natasha. 

 

Natasha was in the workout room. She had been working out to get her mind off things ever since her fight with Steve. She was punching the punching bag as music from her phone played on the gym's speakers. The music that played fit her mood as she punched harder.   
Suddenly, Wanda came into the workout room. She got her attention and Natasha quickly paused her music. 

"What?" she asked.   
"You have a video call on the monitor in the lobby. It's a friend of ours!" Wanda said.   
Natasha followed Wanda to the monitor. It was Bruce and he was so happy to see Natasha.   
"Hey." Natasha said.   
"Hey." Bruce said.   
Wanda decided that they should talk alone.   
"I'll go so you two can talk." she said as she left the room. 

"So,….what have you been up to?" Natasha asked as she folded her arms.   
"I had to take a break from it all. When we had fought Ultron, I was so stressed and confused to the point to where I just needed to shut everyone out for a while, but....I'm done with my break and I'm ready to come back....I'm sorry if I hurt you. I don't want you to think I was leading you on. It's just, I don't think I can love anyone else....My true love is Betty. I hope you understand that." Bruce said.   
"Yeah, I guess it was kinda silly of me to come onto you like that when I should've known that you still loved her. I respect that and there needs to be more men like you in the world." Natasha said.   
"I should arrive there tomorrow. How about we catch up on things?" Bruce suggested.   
Natasha thought about it and thought it was a good idea.   
"Sure....But as friends." she said.   
"Sounds good." Bruce said with a smile.


	7. the letter

The next day, Natasha was walking down the halls of the facility and happened to walk past Sharon's suite. The door was propped open, so she peeked in. Sharon was on her laptop looking at some type of data of some sort. Natasha knocked on the door and Sharon turned around. 

"Hey Natasha!" she said as she closed her laptop and pulled out a flash drive.   
"Hey Sharon. I was just walking by and noticed your door was propped open." Natasha said.   
"Yeah." Sharon began. "You'd think that with all the money they spend on this place, they'd be able to get a decent thermostat. I had to let some cold air in....How have you been?"   
"I've been doing good. You?" Natasha asked.   
"I'm doing great. So far, I like my new job, this suite is perfect….well,minus the A/C, and I've got a date tonight with Steve." Sharon said with a smile.   
Natasha felt her heart sink a little, but tried to remain calm.   
"That's great." she managed to say.   
"I know right? He's such a gentleman, he's kind and not to mention dreamy....It's a shame you never gave him a chance." Sharon said.   
Natasha definitely did not like that she said that. 

"What do you mean I never gave him a chance?" Natasha snapped.   
"You've worked with him for years and always tried to set him up with someone else,….thanks for that by the way. But you never saw that he really wanted to ask you out that whole time. I guess everything works out for the best I guess." Sharon said.   
Natasha wanted to punch her in the face so bad.   
"Um, that's where you're wrong! I went and got drinks with him a week ago!" Natasha said.   
"Yeah....I know. You've been visiting his suite a lot lately too." Sharon said in a bitter tone.   
Natasha was shocked that Sharon knew about her visits with Steve during the past week. There were only cameras in the hallways and only the security staff had access to the camera footage.   
"How....How do you know about that?" she asked.   
"Oh, you know my about new job? Yeah, part of my job is that I have to look over surveillance....Is part of your job screwing Steve?" Sharon asked.   
Natasha then walked closer to her.   
"It's not part of my job....believe it or not, he actually wanted it just as much as I did. And for your information,…. he was amazing!" Natasha said and then headed for the door. 

Sharon went back to her laptop and put her hair up.   
"Really? Well....I guess I'll find out tonight then!" she snapped.   
Natasha stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her.   
"I guess you didn't hear....Steve's got a thing for ladies, not bitches! That's why he's been avoiding your ass all this time!" she snapped as she walked out the door.   
Sharon sat back her desk and was extremely pissed off. 

 

Later, Natasha was at lunch and sitting with Wanda and Vision. She was watching Sharon with an angry glare. Her friends knew something was bothering her.   
"Are you alright?" Vision asked.   
"Yeah. I'm fine." Natasha muttered.   
"So, what time is Bruce supposed to get here?" Wanda asked.   
"He'll be here any minute now. I'm waiting on him to call." Natasha said.   
She continued to watch Sharon and noticed that same flash drive from earlier was key chained on her purse. Steve came over to Sharon and she gave him a hug and stroked his arm. 

"Hey. Did you hear about someone hacking into our personal files the other day?" Vision asked.   
"Who did you hear that from?" Natasha asked him.   
"Well, Steve told me." Vision began. "I thought he told you."   
Natasha took a sip of her drink.   
"Steve doesn't tell me anything anymore....Did they find out who hacked in?" she asked.   
"Not yet." Vision began. "They say it was an outside source. Possibly an enemy wanting to get our personal data and find our weaknesses. I hope they find the hacker soon."   
"Yeah....So do I." Natasha said as she started thinking.   
Suddenly her phone started ringing.   
"It's Bruce. I gotta help him get moved in." Natasha said as she cleaned her mess and left the table. 

 

Later that evening, Steve was in his suite getting ready for his date with Sharon. He still felt bad and was thinking about his fight with Natasha. She wasn't answering his phone calls or text messages. She pretty much shut him out of her life. He still had feelings for her even after the argument. It was even worse because he couldn't talk to anyone about it all.   
Moments later, someone knocked on his door and he went to answer it. Sam was standing in the doorway and saw his friend was upset.   
"Man, you look pretty bummed for someone who's about to go on a date." Sam said.   
Steve realized he had to tell someone. He trusted Sam and they always had each others backs no matter what. Plus they were always there to give each other advice about anything. 

"Come on in, Sam. I have to tell you something." he said.   
Sam took a seat on the couch and Steve closed the door.   
"This must be some serious stuff then." Sam said.   
Steve took a deep breath and looked at his friend.   
"It's about me and Natasha." he said.   
"You still got feelings for her?" Sam asked.   
Steve didn't know exactly how to tell him.   
"You know, how we went out for drinks last week?" Steve began. "That's not all that happened."   
"Yeah, I know, you two went to a club and danced. I showed you the video, remember?" Sam said.   
Steve took a deep breath and hesitated to speak.   
"That's not all that happened?" he said.   
Sam gave him a look.   
"Oh, she kissed you, didn't she? Alright, man. you were getting some lip action!" Sam joked.   
Steve looked at his friend seriously. Sam started to have an idea as to what he was going to say and grew a shocked expression on his face.   
"No....You two didn't...." Sam began.   
"We did." Steve interrupted.   
"OH MY GOD!!!!" Sam said in shock and disbelief. 

Steve then explained to him that he and Natasha had decided be friends with benefits after that first night.   
"Wait....So you two did it a lot more? How often?" Sam asked eager to know.   
Steve lowered his head in shame.   
"At least once a day....sometimes two...." Steve managed to say.   
"OH MY GOD!!!!" Sam said again.   
"I know, I know...." Steve said.   
"I get that you're a super soldier and all, but did you ever get tired?" Sam began. "Damn. I'm surprised you didn't break Nat in half!!!!" 

Steve then told him about his argument with Natasha and how she doesn't want to talk to him, so he has no way to get a hold of her. He asked what he should do. Sam thought about it.   
"I say, write her a letter. She's bound to read it and plus, it's something old fashioned that still works." Sam suggested.   
Steve liked that idea and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen. He wrote out everything from how much he's always loved her, to how bad he feels that they couldn't work out their problems. When he was finished writing, he folded up the letter and put it in his coat pocket. Sam gave him a pat on the back.   
"How are you going to get it to her?" he asked.   
"I'm going to slide it under her door in a minute." Steve said. 

Someone then knocked on his door and he went to answer it. Sam stood beside him. It was Sharon standing in his doorway. She was all dress up and ready for their date.   
"Hello Sam. How are you?" Sharon asked.   
"I'm doing fine, thank you." Sam began as he went into the hallway. "You two enjoy your date."   
Sam then started to walk down the hallway. Steve was still thinking about the letter. He didn't know how he would go and put it under her door if Sharon was there.   
"You ready to go?" she asked.   
"Yeah." Steve said unsure.   
He eventually decided he would have to give Natasha the note after the date, so he just left the letter in his coat pocket.


	8. Suspicion

Later that night, Bruce and Natasha were on their way to a restaurant he recommended. They both decided to catch up on everything over dinner.  
"I still can't believe we didn't get finished unpacking everything." Natasha began. "For someone who shut yourself away from civilization, you sure have a lot of stuff."  
"That's my lab equipment. I decided to continue an experiment I had thought off months ago....And yes, I know it's a lot." Bruce said with a smile as he drove his car.  
The two of them arrived at the restaurant and started to walk inside.  
"Stark told me about this place, so I decided to give it a shot." Bruce began. "I've been wanting a good meal." 

When the two, walked in, the entire restaurant was packed. It was so hard to find a seat until Bruce found a good spot. As they sat across from each other, Natasha looked past his shoulder and saw Sharon a few tables away. Steve was sitting with her as well, but she only saw the back of his head. Sharon looked up and made eye contact with her. Natasha then quickly looked at Bruce.  
"This place looks like it's short on staff." Bruce said.  
He noticed something was bothering her.  
"Are you ok?" he asked.  
"Um, yeah....I'll be right back. Just gotta fix my make up." Natasha said as she got up and went to the restroom. 

When Natasha entered the restroom, she looked in the mirror and started to feel a sense of panic. She tried to calm herself down and took deep breaths. Seconds later, Sharon entered the restroom and stood in the mirror beside her.  
"Aww. You ok? You look shooken up?" Sharon said sarcastically.  
Natasha wasn't in the mood to deal with her at the moment and just wanted to punch her.  
"Don't you have something else better to do? Natasha began. "I know you only came in here to bug me."  
"Oh, are you still upset that I won?" Sharon began. "Get ready, because there's a lot more wins for me very soon."  
Natasha then looked at her, wondering what she meant by that. 

"What are you talking about?" she asked.  
Sharon smiled a fake smile.  
"I'm going to be taking your job soon. Apparently, someone thinks I'd be a better fit training the new team." she said.  
Natasha didn't want to believe it.  
"You can't train them! You're not even an Avenger!" Natasha said angrily.  
"Well, I can change that easily....I'm sure I could convince Steve to make a few changes. Besides,….It took you awhile to discover something so simple like the fact that Wanda's powers are triggered from her mood. Like, really?" Sharon said.  
Natasha was shocked that she knew that.  
"Who told you about that?" she asked.  
"Steve. Who else?" Sharon answered.  
Natasha knew that that was a lie. There's no way Steve would share that type of information with her. She then knew that Sharon was hiding something and had a bigger plan in mind.  
"Listen." she began. "I know you're up to something....and I'm going to find out eventually. And when I do, I'll make sure you not only lose your job, but I'll put an end to it all myself. I'm going to tell you this once....If you cause any of the new team members harm, you're going to wish you never did. And that's a promise!"  
Natasha then grabbed her purse and left the restroom. When she went back to her table, she noticed Bruce wasn't there. She looked around and saw that he was having a conversation with Steve. 

Bruce noticed she was out of the restroom and waved her to come over. When Natasha walked over to them, she didn't know what to say.  
"Hey, Nat....Is everything alright?" Bruce asked.  
Natasha didn't answer and looked over at Steve. He smiled his dreamy smile at her.  
"Hey. You look beautiful." he said to her.  
At that moment, Natasha had a mix of emotions inside her and she just had to leave.

Sharon then came to the table.  
"Hey boys! So you must be the famous Dr. Banner. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sharon Carter. It's funny you guys met up because I actually just spoke with Natasha a few minutes ago." she said.  
Natasha had had enough of Sharon's fakeness and just decided to leave because she couldn't stand to be there any longer. They all looked at her as she stormed away. Bruce got up and followed her. Steve was about to get up, but Sharon put her hand on his shoulder.  
"I'm sure she's going to be fine. She told me she wasn't feeling well." Sharon lied.  
"I sure hope she's going to be ok.... I'll probably just check on her when we get back to the facility." Steve said. 

Back at the facility, Natasha and Bruce were dressed in their casual clothes and in his suite eating pizza while unpacking his boxes of lab equipment.  
"I'm telling you, Sharon is not what she seems." Natasha said.  
"What did she do to you?" Bruce asked as he opened a box.  
Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed.  
"You just don't understand, Bruce. She's practically out to get me and ruin my life." she said.  
"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Bruce asked.  
"No, that's really what she's trying to do." Natasha said.  
"It must be a female thing." Bruce began. "When women are around each other for a certain amount of time, they start to get competitive....and out for blood....like animals. I'm going to agree with you because I'm your friend, but I don't want to get involved in whatever war you two have going on....What are you two fighting about anyways?"  
Natasha didn't know if she should tell him.  
"Bruce...." she began.  
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Bruce answered it and Rhodey stood there with a worried look. 

"Hey. What's going on?" Bruce asked.  
"It's Steve." Rhodey said.  
Natasha then stopped unpacking and was shocked at what he said. Moments later, she was running to the facility's medical wing and saw Wanda, Vision and many staff members looking through a window. 

"Where is he?" she asked. Vision pointed to the door beside him as Wanda held onto him in worry. When Natasha entered the room, she saw Steve lying in a bed with monitors connected to him. Sam stood on his right side and Sharon on his left side. Natasha walked up to him slowly and saw that Steve was unconscious.  
"The doctor said he's in a coma." Sam said.  
Natasha didn't want to believe it. She gently held his hand.  
"Don't do this to me Steve." she whispered.  
Sharon wiped her eyes and left the room while Sam walked closer to Natasha holding Steve's coat.  
"There's a letter in his left pocket. He wanted you to read it." Sam said.  
Natasha reached into the pocket and pulled out the letter. She quickly unfolded it and began to read what he wrote. 

"Dear Nat, 

I know we haven't spoken to each other lately, but I just want you to know that I love you. The other day, I guess I just got worried and upset. It was wrong of me to act that way and I hope that you can forgive me. When I'm with you, I feel truly happy. I never thought I could love again until I met you.  
You've had a positive effect on me and that's one of the many reasons why I love you so much. I understand that you have a terrible past and you probably think to yourself that we shouldn't be together because of that, but I don't care about any of that. Your mistakes are part of what make you who you are and I fell in love with you despite all of that.  
I really think we should solve our problems and start over, but this time in a relationship. After we both fought H.Y.D.R.A. and went our separate ways, I missed you so much....and I can't loose you again. So what do you say? Will you give me another chance? 

Love you always,  
Steve" 

 

By the time, Natasha was done reading the letter, tears were rolling down her face. She folded up the letter and put it in her pocket. Natasha then looked at Steve again and wondered how did that happen to him. She then started to get and idea and thought about what Sharon said at the restaurant about Wanda. Then she thought about what she said earlier that day to her about the surveillance cameras, realizing that wasn't part of her job. And lastly, she thought about the data that she had pulled up on her laptop from her flash drive. It all then started to make sense. 

Natasha rushed out of the room and into the hallway filled with people. She saw Sharon a few feet away talking with a staff member and started to quickly make her way towards her. When she got to her, She punched Sharon in the side of the face, knocking her down. Everyone was shocked and moved away from her. Sharon was on the floor and felt her bloody lip. Everyone was staring at them. 

"Get up, bitch! I've been wanting to kick your ass all day!" Natasha said as she prepared to fight.  
Sharon got up and turned around to face her. The two of them instantly started swinging and kicking at each other.  
"You really shouldn't have punched me, Romanov!" Sharon said as she swung at her.  
"Well, you really shouldn't have pissed me off!" Natasha yelled.  
The two continued to fight and Natasha slammed Sharon onto the wall.  
"You're just a sore-loser slut!" Sharon said.  
"What did you call me?" Natasha asked angrily.  
"Well what else am I going to call someone who's been fucking Captain America everyday?" Sharon said loudly.  
Everyone was shocked to hear that and didn't know how to react. Natasha then tackled Sharon to the floor and started to choke her, until someone came behind her and stunned her with a taser. Natasha then blacked out.


	9. true colors

Natasha woke up in a holding cell with her hands cuffed behind her back. She looked over and saw Bruce, Sam, Wanda, Vision and Rhodey all looked at her from the other side of the bars.  
"You're finally awake." Vision said.  
"Are you ok?" Wanda asked.  
"No!" Natasha began. "What am I doing in here?"  
They all looked at each other not really wanting to mention it. 

"Natasha....Do you realize what you almost did? You could've killed Sharon with your bare hands." Rhodey began. "I had to tase you before you went through with it."  
"You guys don't understand! She's plotting against all of us! She's after all of you! She's the one who put Steve in a coma!" Natasha said.  
They all looked at her as if she had lost her mind. 

"Don't look at me like that! I'm not crazy!" Natasha said.  
"Well....according to the evidence that was found...." Vision began.  
"What evidence?" Natasha asked.  
"Sharon told everyone that you attacked her because she had found out about you stealing secret data on the team and put it on a flash drive." Bruce explained.  
"What? SHE'S THE ONE WHO STOLE THE DATA!!!!" Natasha began. "She took it so she could find out your weaknesses and fighting skills!" Natasha said.  
"We did a security search and found the flash drive in your purse." Bruce said. 

Natasha couldn't believe it. She wondered how that could've happen and remembered talking with her at the restaurant earlier that night.  
"She framed me! She put it in my purse when were talking in the restroom at the restaurant! Please! You have to believe me! Would I hide anything from you guys?" she asked.  
They all looked at each other again and didn't know what to say. Bruce walked closer to the bars of the cell.  
"What about you and Steve?....When were you guys going to tell us?" Bruce asked.  
Natasha started to feel very bad. 

"Bruce, it's complicated....I was going to tell you, but I didn't know how....I'm sorry....You know how you told me that you'll always have a special place in your heart for Betty because she's your first true love....well I'm in love with Steve....and now, I probably ever won't be able to tell him." Natasha said as a tear rolled down her face.  
They all felt bad for her.  
"I knew about you two." Sam said.  
They all looked at him.  
"Steve told me before he took Sharon out tonight. That's when he wrote the letter....He feels the same way about you and you both deserve each other....I just didn't tell anyone because it wasn't my place to share that with everyone....Nat, I believe you" he said. 

Wanda looked at Natasha.  
"I believe you too. Something's not right about all of this." she said.  
"I believe you, Nat." Rhodey said.  
"As do I." Vision said.  
"Natasha....I believe you too. Even if no one else trusts you, just know that all of us here, do." Bruce said.  
"Thank you." Natasha began."Is there anyway you guys could get me out of here?"  
"We can't. We were given orders not to, but we will try to talk to someone and see if they can." Rhodey said.  
"Alright....but guys, make sure you all keep your guard up and look out for anything suspicious." Natasha advised them. 

 

Later that night, everyone was asleep. The usual staff members had gone home and the Avengers were the only ones left in the facility. They all were asleep in their suites except for Sam who decided to stay up and sit beside Steve. 

Sharon was walking the halls and entered the team's training room. She approached the War Machine armor and opened the side component and typed in digits from a code. This caused the armor to deactivate and be impossible for someone to put on the armor. She then went over to the Falcon wings and opened up the operating system. She removed pieces that functioned the weapon system and the wings. Sharon then got up and left the room with a devious look on her face. 

While Sam was sitting beside Steve, he noticed some unfamiliar men in matching gear walking down the hallways. He got up and went to approach some of them.  
"Hey. How did you guys get in the building?" he asked a group of them.  
The group looked at him and pulled out their guns. Sam then realized something was wrong. He quickly turned around and started running the other way as the strange men prepared their guns and started shooting. Sam quickly turned down the hallway before the bullets were able to hit him. He ran to the training room and went to his Falcon gear, but as he looked at it, he realized it wouldn't function.  
"Dammit!" he exclaimed and quickly grabbed a gun.  
Before he left the room, he went over to the War Machine armor and saw it was deactivated. 

Wanda was sound asleep in her bed in her suite. Sharon was in her room and opened a mysterious briefcase. In it, was a strange fluid that she carefully put in a needle.  
"Say goodbye to your powers, freak." she whispered to herself as she prepared the needle.  
Sharon went to Wanda, pulled up her sleeve, and carefully stuck the needle in her. As she began to inject the fluid in her shoulder, Wanda woke up and jumped away from her quickly. Sharon was pissed because she didn't get to put all of the fluid in her. Wanda screamed and got out of her bed. She then started to move her hands, preparing to attack Sharon but realized her powers were gone! Wanda screamed again in fear and Vision quickly phased into the room. Sharon pulled out her gun and began to shoot. Vision picked Wanda up and quickly phased out of the room. 

Bruce woke up to the sound of gunshots and rushed out of bed to see what was going on. When he came into the hall, he saw Rhodey in the doorway of his suite across from him.  
"I heard gunshots. What's going on?" Bruce asked.  
"I heard them too, I'm going to get my armor!" Rhodey said.  
Sam suddenly came running down the hallway with a gun in his hand.  
"Your armor is deactivated and so are my wings!" Sam said.  
"How the hell did that happen?" Rhodey asked.  
"Nat was right about Sharon. She's got some hired help too. Your best option right now is a gun!" Sam said. 

Seconds later, Vision came flying down the hallway holding Wanda.  
"Sharon shot at us! She also took away Wanda's powers!" he explained.  
They all looked at him in shock. Wanda was very shook up from it all. They all started to hurry down the hall. Natasha was still in the cell and could hear all the gunshots. Her friends soon ran to her cell. Vision put Wanda down and broke the cell bars. Natasha stepped through and Vison freed her hands. He then went to put his arm around Wanda. 

"You were right about Sharon!" Rhodey began. "Where are we gonna get some guns? The training room is on the other side of the building!"  
"I know a place!" Natasha said as she started to lead them down the hall.  
She opened a cabinet filled with emergency backpacks, guns and amo.  
"Here!" she said as she passed supplies to them.  
The group heard the gunshots getting closer. 

"Hey Banner, Why can't you just go all Hulk on them and finish their asses?!" Sam asked.  
They all looked at Bruce, realizing that was a good question and waited for his answer. Bruce lowered his head in shame.  
"Because....I can't." he managed to say.  
"What?!!! What do you mean you can't?" Sam asked.  
Bruce looked at Natasha in the eye. She shook her head understanding why he couldn't.  
"Guys!" she began. "He has his reasons. Someone contact Fury!"  
"I already tried. They shut down all the tech in the building and prevented us from contacting anyone outside!" Rhodey said. 

They could hear their enemies getting closer and ran down the hall. They went up the stairs and opened a door which put them on the roof. Many miles of forest surrounded the building.  
"Well this is a dead end." Rhodey said.  
They all could hear their enemies walking up the stairs. Vision then used his powers to rip the door off the hinges.  
"Everyone get on the door!" he yelled.  
They all listened and Vision lifted the door while everyone was on it. Their enemies came onto the roof and started shooting. The group used their guns to shoot and Vision blasted them with his mind stone as he held the door and flew off the roof. Enemies continued to shoot as Vision took everyone in the woods for safety.


	10. There's worse out there

It was 1:34 a.m. and the team was sitting in a cave around a small fire that was about ten miles from the facility. Rhodey walked around trying to get signal on his phone, but hadn't had any luck yet. Sam was trying to keep warm by keeping the fire going. Vision sat beside Wanda as she explained to Bruce about her symptoms from the fluid that she was injected with. Natasha sat outside the cave, near a little stream and looked at the stars as she was thinking to herself. 

"Did she inject all the fluid in your shoulder?" Bruce asked Wanda.   
"No....She only injected a little, but it was enough to remove my powers." Wanda explained.   
Bruce was relieved to hear that it was only a little bit of fluid.   
"You should be ok, Wanda." Bruce began. "Because only a small amount was injected, you lost your powers for only a few hours. If she had injected all that was in the needle, the effect would be permanent."   
Wanda was happy to hear this and started to tear up from happiness. Even though, she had gained her abilities from experimentation with H.Y.D.R.A. and only had her powers for a few years, she had gotten so used to them and wouldn't know what to do if that was taken from her. Those abilities helped her become who she is. 

"See, I told you that there was nothing to worry about." Vision said to her.   
She smiled and hugged him. Vision hugged her back and smiled too. Wanda gave him a peck on the cheek and looked at him.   
"Thank you....for saving me, saving all of us." she said to him.   
As happy as Vision was to hear her say that to him, he felt that he couldn't take all the credit.   
"Oh, it was nothing. The person you should really be thanking is Natasha. Without her warning us about Sharon, who knows what could've happened to us all?" Vision said.   
"Yeah. You gotta hand it to Nat. Even when the odds are against her, she's still a fighter. Fighting for what's right." Sam said from the other side of the fire. 

 

Natasha was still sitting outside the cave. She was worried about Steve and thought about what he would think of all that's happened in only a few hours since he went into a coma. She realized that Sharon put him in a coma for a specific reason. There's no way Sharon would've gotten as far with her plan as she did if Steve was awake. She knew he would have stopped her crazy plot instantly. That's why Sharon had to get to him first before causing any harm to the rest of the team. But of course anyone who would have a strategy plan on this level would all tell make their first move the same way....and that move is to take out the leader first. Most people believe that once you get rid of the leader, all of that leader's followers or in this case, teammates, wouldn't be able to function....but that isn't the case for the Avengers.   
Moments later, Bruce came over to sit beside Natasha. 

"You worried about him?" he asked.   
"Yeah." Natasha began. "I don't know how critical his coma is....I hope he wakes up....so I could look into those blue eyes of his one more time."   
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Steve's been through a lot and nothing has been able to stop him." Bruce said in a reassuring tone.   
Natasha thought about what Bruce had said earlier when they were escaping.   
"I now fully understand why you didn't want to become the Hulk earlier." she said.   
"You do?" Bruce began. "I actually thought you were a tiny bit upset that I didn't. I know the others seemed like they were."   
"I'm not upset. I know you were thinking of someone else.... That's why you chose not to. I respect that." Natasha said. 

Bruce looked at her surprised that she knew his hidden intentions behind his actions, but then again he realized just who he was dealing with. Nothing gets by Natasha. That's why she was such a great spy.   
"Really?" Bruce began. "So just who was I thinking of when I chose not to become the other guy?" Bruce smiled though he knew that she knew.   
"You were thinking of me." Natasha began. "You didn't want to hurt me and I don't mean physically, but emotionally....You knew that you lose control when you Hulk out and often cause harm to stuff that you don't mean to damage....You also knew if that happened, you could've harmed Steve, possibly killing him in the process and you know how much I love him....I want to thank you for that."   
Bruce smiled at her. Every word she said was absolutely right. Even if it meant getting everything over with and saving everyone, he just couldn't risk accidentally killing Steve.   
"You're welcome." Bruce said. 

He then got up and started to head back to the cave.   
"You wanna come back to the cave? Everyone's starting to get some rest. I can honestly say I'm pretty tired myself." Bruce said.   
"No. I'm fine. I might head back in a few." Natasha said as she continued to look at the stars.   
Bruce then walked back to the cave. 

 

Back at the facility, Sharon was angry with her squad for letting the Avengers escape. Most of the facility was damaged from the shots they fired at them. Sharon then started to hear an intimidating deep voice inside her head and fell to the floor.   
"I should have known you would fail me! First, I had tried this with that pompous Asgardian trickster and he had failed me as well. I figured you, a simple human, who had connections to the ones who possess my stone, would have at least had an easier chance retrieving it! I want the stone!" the voice said.   
Sharon felt a major headache as the voice spoke to her. 

"The stone is a key element to the one they call Vision. After I get rid of the others, I will have no problem getting the stone!" Sharon said to the voice.   
"I'm giving you one more chance! Make good use of the Kree I sent you. I didn't send them for nothing!" the voice said.   
Sharon looked over at one of the squad members and saw them transform into their Kree form and back into their human disguise.   
"After I go through with all of this, you will still give me what you promised, right? I want to be given powers, but so much untouchable powers that even the Avengers couldn't stop me." Sharon said.   
"You only get your reward if you complete my task!" the voice said.   
Soon, Sharon could no longer hear the voice in her head and stood up. She was ready to find the Avengers. 

In the medical room, As Steve continued to lie in bed, he slowly opened his eyes and was breathing perfectly fine again. He noticed no one was in the room with him and sat up. He carefully removed all the cords that were set up on his body. Steve got out of bed and walked over to the door to the hallway. He was shocked to see all the destruction in the hall.   
"What the hell happened here?" he asked himself.   
He started to make his way down the hall until he saw a strange man from behind and got his attention. The man turned around to face him, but Steve was shocked to see that the man's face had looked like and alien-like looking creature. It then morphed into a human looking face.   
"Whoa! What the...." Steve began.   
The man began to shoot at him, but Steve dodged the bullets. He had nowhere else to go, so he started to break holes into walls as he ran. Steve got to his suite and broke in the door. He went to his couch and grabbed his shield. More of the men came into his suite and started shooting at him. Steve blocked the bullets with his shield. He started to fight them off and throw his shield attacking them all as they came at him. He then made a turn down the hall and ran into Sharon. 

"Why hello, Steve." she said to him.   
"Sharon! I've got get you to safety! Did you know about these men or things or whatever they are?" Steve asked.   
"It's fine Steve." Sharon began. "They're with me. I can tell them to lay off under one condition."   
Steve looked at her as if she were crazy. He started to think it was all a bad dream.   
"What? What's going on?" he asked.   
"They're helping me get something for someone who will make me become the most powerful human to ever live....How about this, I will tell them to leave you alone only if you agree to belong to me." Sharon said.   
"You can't make me your prisoner!" Steve said.   
Sharon then stroked his shoulder.   
"No....I mean you can be my other half, if you know what I mean?" Sharon suggested. 

Steve then realized that this chick was crazy and power hungry.   
"I'd rather be a prisoner!" he said.   
Sharon did not like that answer and her flirtatious smile turned into a menacing glare.   
"Alright then....Don't say I didn't give you a chance!" she said in a mean tone as she walked away.   
The enemies suddenly started to attack Steve as he tried to fight them off with his shield.


	11. damaged

In the forest, Natasha walked around outside the cave. She had been walking around for hours because she just couldn't sleep knowing that Steve was back at the facility. She went to sit by the stream again to think. Moments later, Wanda had woken up and walked out of the cave. She saw Natasha sitting by herself and went to go sit by her.

"You're still awake?" she asked Natasha.   
"I couldn't sleep." Natasha began. "I'm guessing you had a rough time sleeping though."   
"It's a cave. Not exactly the most comfortable place for slumber." Wanda said.   
Natasha smiled realizing that Wanda had a point.   
"Did your powers come back?" she asked.   
Wanda tried to see, but there was no luck.   
"Not yet." she began. "I hope they come back soon....I've been learning that I have new abilities everyday."   
"Well that's good. What more are you able to do?" Natasha asked.   
"I have discovered I can heal and also possibly mend tissue, broken bones or damaged organs, but I'm still in the process of figuring that out. I haven't mastered it entirely." Wanda explained. 

Natasha was surprised that Wanda had those specific abilities and was working to perfect them.   
"That's great Wanda. We could definitely use a healer on the team." she said.   
"I want to thank you Natasha....Since I joined the team, you have been very supportive. You have made me feel welcome around everyone. You talked me into giving Vision a chance and you always stay strong even when the worst of situations happen....I don't know how I could repay you." Wanda said.   
"It's no problem. You don't have to do anything for me." Natasha said.   
Wanda looked down and started pulling up blades of grass.   
"Well maybe when I fully master my healing ability, perhaps I could....heal you?" she suggested. 

Natasha looked at her shocked at what she just said to her.   
"What do you mean, heal me? I have no broken bones or open wounds." she said.   
"But you are damaged on the inside....I know, I can sense it." Wanda said.   
A tear ran down Natasha's face and she looked away from Wanda.   
"Wanda...." she began. "That was done to me years ago....I don't think you can fix that."   
"But if I don't help you,….you can't ever be truly happy. I know that you want the same opportunity as any other woman." Wanda said.   
Natasha stood up and wiped her eye.   
"I gave up my happiness when that happened to me....I appreciate the offer to help me, but I'm going to be ok....I've always been ok. Don't worry about me. What we all need to worry about is how were going to take down Sharon." she said as she started to walk back to the cave.   
Wanda was still sitting down and thought about their conversation. She wanted to help her friend and she knew that she could heal her. 

 

At the facility, Steve was being held captive by Sharon's squad. They had beaten him until he couldn't fight anymore. His hands and feet were chained up. Steve saw Sharon walking towards him.   
"Where's Natasha? What happened to everyone?" he asked.   
"They got in the way of my plan. All of this would've been over with by now, but that whore of yours warned the team about me....she got suspicious. So I had to take matters into my own hands." Sharon said.   
"Sharon...." Steve began. "This isn't like you....I know something's wrong with you. I can get you some help....a counselor or rehab could help you."   
"You don't know anything about me....it's much more than you think." Sharon said as she walked away.   
As Steve sat there chained down, he worried about everyone. He also worried about Sharon. Steve knew there must have been a bigger reason for her strange behavior. 

 

At 5:12, the entire team was awake and waited for Natasha to give them orders. Rhodey and Sam prepared their guns. Bruce grabbed a gun as well. Vision had his arm around Wanda and they looked into each other's eyes.   
"What's wrong?" he asked her.   
"My powers still haven't come back....what if I get hurt when we go back?" Wanda said.   
"I promise I won't let anything happen to you." Vision told her. 

Bruce walked outside the cave and went to Natasha.   
"How are we going to just walk in there and defeat them? They have advantages." he said to her.   
"But we have a greater advantage....you." Natasha said.   
"But what about Steve?" Bruce asked.   
"I will make sure he's safe when we get there....but, afterwards, I'm going to let you know when you can become the other guy." Natasha explained.   
Bruce nodded in agreement they both went to meet up with the rest of the team. 

"So what's the plan, Nat?" Sam asked.   
"First Vision, Wanda and Rhodey need to go to the central office. " Natasha began. "Vision, I need you to use your abilities to power up all the tech and when you do so, I want you to contact three people, Fury, Hill and Stark. Rhodey and Wanda, I need the both of you to make sure no one stops him from doing this. Bruce and Sam. The two of you will come with me and we will move Steve and get him to safety....I know that most of you have had your usual way of fighting taken from you, but today I need you to give your all into everything you do....I don't entirely know why Sharon is doing this, but it's our job to put an end to it!.... Sharon has not taken away your ability to fight....She thinks she's slowed you down, but she forgot that you don't have to have special abilities to win a fight....I manage to do a pretty damn good job even when fighting on the same team as a billionaire, a super soldier, an eight foot tall green beast and a god....so you guys know what to do....Avengers, Assemble!"


	12. no mercy

At dawn, the Avengers had arrived back to the facility, Even though they were wearing their casual clothes instead of their usual superhero gear, they still looked threatening. They all carried their loaded guns and were ready to take back the facility. 

Sharon looked out the window and could see them coming for her. She turned around and told her squad to get them all and to make sure they get the mind stone from vision. As the Avengers reached the entrance of the building, Sharon's squad began to shoot at them. Vision, Wanda and Rhodey made their way to the central office while Natasha, Sam and Bruce rushed to the medical wing. The Avengers fought anyone who stood in their way. Vision used his powers to blast enemies away.

He, Wanda and Rhodey soon made it to the central office. Some of Sharon's squad started to enter the office, but Wanda and Rhodey shot them down. Vision went to the motherboard and started to use his Technopathy to revive the computers and all other tech in the building. He then quickly sent a message to Fury, Hill and Stark letting them know what has been happening at the facility.   
As Wanda and Rhodey were shooting at Sharon's squad, Rhodey had to reload his gun. Wanda ran out of ammunition too and quickly got on the floor to reload, but she wasn't fast enough. One of the enemies had gotten very close to Vision and was about to attack him. This scared Wanda and she didn't know what she would do if anything happened to Vision.   
"NO!!!!" she screamed as faced towards the enemy.   
Suddenly a red mist appeared from her hands and attacked all the enemies in their area at once. Rhodey and Vision looked at her Wanda in shock. She stood up and looked at her hands with a smile. 

"My powers! They're back!" she said in excitement.   
"You saved me...." Vision said as he walked towards her.   
"Well....I couldn't lose you....You mean so much to me." Wanda said as she put her arms around Vision.   
"You mean much to me as well." Vision said as he looked into her eyes.   
"Vision...." Wanda began. "I guess I....I...."   
"I love you, too!" Vision interrupted.   
They smiled at each other and started to kiss. While they locked lips, Rhodey stood a few feet away from them awkwardly. He had actually found a couple that managed to make him feel more awkward kissing in front of him than his friends Tony and Pepper.   
"Uh, guys...." Rhodey began.   
Vision and Wanda looked at him.   
"There's still enemies in the building that we should probably fight....just saying." he said.   
Vision and Wanda smiled at each other then went into the hallway with Rhodey. 

 

Natasha, Sam and Bruce entered the medical wing as they continued to fight against Sharon's squad. They rushed into the room where Steve's bed was and were shocked to see he was nowhere to be found.   
"This doesn't make any sense." Bruce said.   
"What happened to him?" Sam asked.   
Natasha was feeling so upset that she could burst into tears at any moment, but she was also so pissed that she could punch a wall.   
"Sam. Go find the others." she began. "Bruce....bring out the other guy."   
"Where are you going?" Bruce asked.   
"I have some unfinished business I need to deal with on my own." Natasha said as she led the three of them out into the hall.   
"Be careful." Sam told her.   
He quickly ran to go find the others. Bruce looked at Natasha as he transformed into the Hulk.   
"Show no mercy!" Natasha said. 

 

On the other side of the building, Wanda, Vision and Rhodey continued to fight their enemies. Moments later, Sam joined them.   
"Where's Steve?" Rhodey asked.   
"I don't know." Sam said.   
They all looked at him shocked.   
"You didn't find him? Was he not still in the bed?" Wanda asked.   
"He wasn't there. We don't know what happened to him." Sam explained.   
As they continued to fight, they noticed that some were morphing into strange looking creatures and then back into human form. More of them were fighting the team and they started to doubt that they'd have a chance to beat them. 

Suddenly, the Captain America shield came out of nowhere and cut through a big number of them.   
"They're aliens!" a familiar voice said.   
The team looked in the direction the sound came from and were shocked to see Steve walking towards them.   
"Steve!" they all said.   
"I can't believe it." Wanda said as she gave him a hug.   
Sam gave his friend a bro hug and they did their handshake. 

"They're aliens?" Rhodey said still confused.   
"Yeah." Steve began. "Sharon is doing all of this. I think there's a bigger threat behind her actions."   
"What are they after?" Vision asked.   
"Your mind stone. Someone out there wants it." Steve said.   
Suddenly, the Hulk startled everyone when he broke a nearby wall and entered the room as he defeated two enemies.   
"Well the gang's all here....sort of." Sam said.   
"Where's Natasha?" Steve asked.   
"She didn't specify, but I'm sure she went to find Sharon....We didn't know what happened to you. I'm guessing she thought Sharon had something to do with it." Sam said.   
Steve was worried about her and wanted to find her. He looked at the Avengers as they stood around him. 

"Vision and Wanda."He began. "I need the two of you to handle enemies in the East wing of the building. Rhodey, I need you to clear the hallways of any enemies and contact all the facility's staff. Tell them it's an emergency! Hulk...."   
The Hulk looked at him for a moment.   
"You know what to do!" Steve said.   
He then looked over at Sam.   
"And Sam, you're gonna come with me." Steve said.   
"Where are we going?" Sam asked.   
"To find Natasha." Steve answered.


	13. a new beginning

Natasha had entered the third floor of the facility. She carried her gun as she looked for Sharon. The whole lighting of the floor was dim due to all of the destruction. Natasha was upset and full of rage. She didn't understand why Sharon was doing all of this.   
"You looking for me?" a familiar voice said from behind her.   
Natasha turned around and saw Sharon standing a few feet away from her. 

"I had a feeling you were going to come back." Sharon said.   
"Where's Steve?" Natasha asked as she pointed her gun at Sharon.   
"Your guess is as good as mine." Sharon began. "I did have him captured, but it didn't take long for...."   
"He's awake!?" Natasha asked.   
Sharon then gave her a look and folded her arms.   
"Yes. He's awake, but don't get your hopes up because it looks like you won't see him again anyway." Sharon said as she pulled out her gun on Nat.   
Sharon shot her gun, but Natasha dodged the bullet and kicked the gun out of her hand. The two women then started to fight. 

 

In the East wing of the building, Wanda and Vision were fighting enemies. Soon, many more had shown up and they began to be a challenge for the two of them. Vision then looked at Wanda. 

"There's more coming in from the next room. You keep handling the one's in here. I'm going to phase into the other room and stop the others before they come in." he said.   
"Vision....be careful." Wanda said.   
"I will be fine." Vision said.   
He then quickly phased through the wall and into the next room. As vision fought more enemies, he soon got attacked from behind. One of the enemies had stuck him in the neck with a needle filled with the same fluid Sharon used for Wanda. All of a sudden, Vision lost his strength, durability and all of his other powers. Vision collapsed to the floor and one of the enemies took the mind stone off of him. Vision then collapsed to the floor. Wanda knew something wasn't right and went to the next room. She screamed when she saw Vision lying on the floor. As she screamed, she fought off enemies with her powers. Unfortunately, the one who had taken the stone, got away. Wanda started to cry and knelt down beside Vision's body. 

 

In other areas of the facility, Hulk continued to destroy enemies and Rhodey fought off some as well while trying to contact help. Steve and Sam were fighting enemies as they looked for Natasha.   
Meanwhile Natasha and Sharon were still fighting, but Sharon was starting to beat Natasha. Sharon kicked her in the rib cage. Natasha then fell over and could not get up. She coughed out blood from her mouth. Sharon took Natasha's gun and pointed it at her.   
"Why are you doing this?" Natasha asked as she lay on the floor in pain.   
"I'm doing this for me!" Sharon began. "For years I have never been good enough for anything I tried to achieve in life. It never made any sense to me!....Then I realized that in order to be seen as important in this world, I have to change myself and become....like you guys. If I can become a super being, my life will be so much easier....I intended to make that dream a reality. All I have to do is get the mind stone and I will be granted more power than you could even imagine....You see what good can come from changes?" 

After Natasha had heard that, she started to feel kind of bad for Sharon. Just a little bit though. She figured that this was a long kept issue that she's always had and that she should get some help. Natasha then thought about what Steve had told her that one night at the bar.   
"Sharon, you don't need to change yourself! You should accept who you are." Natasha began. "I was once like you....not this extreme, but I did at one time believe that something was wrong with the way I was living my life, but then someone told me that I shouldn't have to change for the approval of anyone. I learned to love myself for who I am and you should do the same."   
Sharon started to think about what Natasha said, but suddenly one of her squad members came through the door holding something in his hand. Natasha tried to get a good look at what he had in his hand and realized it was the mind stone.   
"No...." she said under her breath in shock.   
Just before Sharon got her hands on the stone, Natasha shot the guy with a pistol. The stone fell to the floor and Natasha punched Sharon. As the stone rolled across the floor, the both of them fought. 

 

In the East wing, no more enemies were in sight. The Hulk and Rhodey found Wanda sitting beside Vision's body, crying.   
"What happened?" Rhodey asked.   
"They killed him....They took his stone....I should've been there for him, but I couldn't do it this time." Wanda said as she cried.   
"No....Wanda....It's not your fault." Rhodey began. "Here....We should get him outside."   
The Hulk carefully picked up Vision's body and led Wanda and Rhodey outside. 

Sam and Steve defeated their last enemy and entered the third floor. They could hear fighting from the end of the hall and hurried to the area. The two men rushed into a room where they found Natasha and Sharon fighting. Natasha quickly picked up the stone. The women noticed that they were there and stopped fighting for a moment.   
"Steve!" Natasha said in a surprised tone.   
"Nat! Watch out for Sharon!" Steve said as he and Sam ran over to them.   
Natasha turned around and saw that Sharon had pulled a grenade that she had gotten from a cabinet in the room. Sharon then quickly punched Natasha and snatched the stone from her. The stone flew through the air as they tried to grab it. Suddenly, Sam grabbed Sharon and Steve grabbed Nat. The both of them did a quick run towards the window and broke through the glass just as the grenade exploded. They fell onto the first floor roof and slid off and landed onto the grass outside. 

Some of the facility's employees had started to arrive and a few ran over to Sharon and handcuffed her. Sam explained to them details about the whole incident. Many more cars started to pull in and they were all shocked at the destruction level of the facility.   
As Steve and Natasha lay on the grass, they looked over and saw the rest of their team just a few yards away from them. The Hulk slowly changed back into Bruce and Wanda and Rhodey made eye contact with them. Steve and Natasha were shocked to see Vision's body laying over there. Wanda rushed over to them to see if they were ok. Natasha wasn't feeling well. She had already broken a rib and possibly severely injured her spine. Steve was worried about her and sat up. 

"Natasha!" Steve said to her, hoping to get a response.   
Natasha's heartbeat started to slow down as she lay there on the grass. She had cuts all over her from the glass and her fight with Sharon. Wanda started to tear up.   
"Please be ok." she began. "We can't lose you too....they took Vision's stone. Let me help you."   
Natasha then opened her left hand revealing that she was able to get the stone. 

"Take the stone.... You can save him....go." Natasha managed to say.   
Wanda quickly grabbed the stone and ran over to Vision's body. She knelt down and placed the mind stone back on his forehead. Within seconds, Vision awoke. He saw Wanda smiling at him and he gave her a hug and a kiss. Wanda cried with tears of joy. Vision was alive again. Steve still sat beside Natasha. He held her hand and could feel her grip getting lighter. They sat there and looked into each other's eyes. Steve knew that this could be the end for her, but he wasn't ready to let go yet. 

"You can't leave me yet. I won't allow it." he said to her.   
Natasha gently smiled at him as she could feel her body start to weaken.   
"I don't think you have a say in this one, Rogers." she said to him.   
A tear ran down Steve's face.   
"I love you, Natasha." he said.   
"I love you too." she responded.   
Steve leaned in to give her a kiss. He sat back up and cried even more. He felt upset too and punched the ground a couple times in anger. He was mad at himself because he wished he could've been there for her more. Natasha's hand was completely limp and her eyes had closed. Wanda saw this all from a few years away. Her and Vision walked over to Steve. Wanda thought about all that Natasha had done for her and felt that this was the right time to repay her for all that she's done. 

"Steve....I can heal her." she said.   
Steve looked up at her shocked.   
"You can?" he asked.   
Wanda nodded her head and Steve stood up. Wanda then started to use her powers. She moved the red mist over Natasha's body and started to heal her. Bruce, Sam and Rhodey walked over to them to see. Wanda carefully moved her hands as she healed. During this process, Wanda thought about what her and Natasha had talked about before. She wanted to help Natasha as much as she could, even if that meant healing "every" damaged part of her body. If Wanda could pull this off successfully, she would feel as if she gave Natasha another chance at life, the way she always wanted. Wanda soon stopped using her powers and waited for Natasha to wake. There was a crowd of facility employees around them watching as well. 

Seconds later, Natasha's eyes opened and she began to cough as she started to stand. Everyone clapped and cheered. Steve smiled at Natasha and hugged her closely.   
"How is this possible?" Natasha asked with a smile.   
"Wanda healed you." Steve said.   
Natasha looked at Wanda and gave her a hug.   
"Thank you so much." she said.   
"Natasha." Wanda began as she whispered in Natasha's ear. "I hope you don't mind, but I also healed what you had once told me not to."   
Natasha was shocked to hear her say this.   
"What are you saying?" she asked.   
"I'm saying that now.... you can have the same opportunity as every other woman in the world....If one day, you so wish to,….you can have a child." Wanda explained.   
Natasha started to cry from happiness and hugged her friend again. It will forever be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. 

She then looked at Steve and walked towards him.   
"What do you think Fury's gonna say when he gets here?" Steve asked.   
"Let's not worry about that right now." Natasha said with a smile.   
Steve smiled back at her and the two of them shared a kiss.


	14. happy ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long for me to upload this.

Two weeks later, Sharon was getting some psychological help. She was living at a rehab center far on the west coast. Back in upstate New York, construction was being done to rebuild the Avengers facility. There were even plans to expand the building. Vision and Wanda were happy in their relationship. Steve and Natasha were also very happy together. It was a new beginning for them. The two of them were sitting on the grass in a shaded area outside looking at the facility from a distance. They sat on a blanket and were having a small romantic picnic. 

"I can't wait until they rebuild my suite. I think mine had more damage than yours." Natasha said.   
"You know,….Maybe when they finish everything, you could probably stay with me....If you want." Steve suggested.   
Natasha looked at him and smiled.   
"You want me to live with you?" she asked.   
"We might as well." Steve began. "We're staying at the same apartment right now....It's no different."   
Natasha gave him a kiss on the cheek.   
"Sounds like a perfect idea." she said. 

Suddenly, Bruce, Sam, Tony and Fury were walking towards them.   
"Everyone said you two were together." Tony began as he shook his head. "I didn't believe them because I didn't think Cap here, would ever make a move."   
"Very funny, Stark." Steve said.   
"Fury, how long until the new building's finished?" Natasha asked.   
"I was told about two months, but hopefully we can get it finished sooner." Fury said.   
Natasha looked over at Bruce. 

"How have you been?" she asked.   
"Good, but I actually came here to tell you that I'm going to be moving to the West Coast. I'll be helping Stark with a new program he's starting." Bruce said.   
Natasha stood up and gave Bruce a hug.   
"You be careful, ok?" she said to him.   
"Just what kind of program are you starting?" Steve asked Tony.   
"I'm recruiting people to help out with a team I'm starting...." Tony began. "The West Coast Avengers. I've already spoke with Thor and Barton about it. They're on board. Rhodey is too....How about you Sam? You interested?"   
Sam looked at Steve and Natasha then back at Tony.   
"Thanks for the offer, but I can't leave these guys....They can't function without me." he said jokingly.

Soon, Tony, Fury and Bruce walked away. Steve and Natasha sat back down on their blanket. Sam stood up and leaned against a tree. Steve looked at Natasha and gave her a kiss off guard. Sam then started to feel uncomfortable.   
"That's my cue to go." he said as he started to walk away.   
"Wait! Sam! You can stay if you want!" Steve said.   
"I'm good. I'll just let you two have some time together. See ya later." Sam said as he walked away. 

Steve and Natasha then got quiet and Steve decided to drink some of his tea. Natasha had been wanting to tell him something.   
"Steve." she began. "You know when Wanda healed me?"   
"Yeah. And I'm so glad she did because I wouldn't here with you right now." Steve said.   
"She....healed me entirely....Meaning that she healed a part of me that was damaged for a long time." Natasha said.   
Steve looked at her and smiled.   
"You mean....you can now have children?" he asked.   
"Yeah." Natasha answered with a smile.   
"Wait. You're not pregnant, are you?" Steve asked.   
"No. Of course not." Natasha began. "After everything I've seen in my life so far, I'm pretty positive I don't want children until I'm married."   
"Well keep playing your cards right and that just might happen sometime soon, Romanov." Steve said with a smile and a wink.   
Natasha giggled at him and gave him a little shove. Steve then put his arms around her and gave her a kiss. 

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think! :)  
> Guests are more than welcome to comment as well.


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